Sewing-machine table.



Patented Oct. I, I90l.

H. P. RICHARDS. SEWING MACHINE TABLE.

(Application filed Oct. 25, 1900.)

m' noams zrcascmmmumowwumumomm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I-IUBERT P. RICHARDS,

EVARTS TRACY, OF PL AINFIELD, NEW JERSEY.

SEWlNG-MACHlNE TABLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Original application filed April 15, 1898, Serial Patent No. 683,498, dated October 1, 1901.

No. 677,728. Divided and this application filed October 25, 1900. Serial No. 34,257. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HUBERT P. RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States, residing in New Britain, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sewing-Machine Tables, of which the following is a specificatio'n.

This invention relates to sewing-machine to tables, the object being to provide a table having an opening for the sewing-machine head and of a length greater than the length of the bed-plate of said head with a worksupporting leaf shiftably secured to said table and effective in one position to close the opening and in another position to permit an inspection of the stitch-forming mechanism or the sewing of work not readily supported on a table adjacent to the stitching 2o mechanism, the present application being a division of application, Serial No. 677,728, filed April 15, 1898.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sewing-machine-table top having a 2 5 walled-in opening, with a hinged leaf adapted to close said opening.

A further object of the invention is to provide a table having a walled-in opening in its top, with a work-supporting drop-leaf hinged to the table, with its upper face normally flush with the upper face of said table, and with means for exerting a lifting stress upon said drop-leaf and for locking said drop-leaf in its normal horizontal or elevated position.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, Figure l is a plan view of a portion of a sewing-machine table embodying my present improvement, the sewing-machine head being shown supported thereby and a portion of one corner of the drop-leaf of the table being in section forthe purpose of showing the latch; and Fig. 2 is a front elevation, partially in section, of the table shown in Fig. 1, one position of the drop-leaf being shown in dotted lines.

Similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts in both figures of the drawings.

This improved table comprises, in the preferred form thereof shown in part in the accompanying drawings, two table-supporting uprights 2 and 3 of some suitable construc tion and a table-top 4., having an elongated opening 5 for the head of the machine, which opening in the form shown is of length somewhat greater than the length of the bed-plate 6 of the sewing-machine head A and extends somewhat in advance of the needle at the 5 for the sewing-machine head somewhat beyond the fabric-supporting end of the bedplate of said head certain parts of the looper mechanism and feed mechanism may be readily inspected without tilting the sewingmachine head backward, and this further facilitates the easy handling of certain kinds of work during the sewing operation-as, for instance, such work as could not be conveniently supported on top contiguous to the fabric supporting and feeding end of the sewing-machine head while being operated upon. This opening is shown located within the boundary edges of the table top and is in the present instance a walled-in opening.

For the purpose of bridging the opening between the work-supporting end of the bedplate of the sewing-machine and the opposite edge of the table-top I have provided a dropleaf L, which is shown at 7 hinged to the edge of said table and which drop-leaf is provided with a spring-actuated detent or latch 8 for normally engaging the table and holding the drop-leaf in its elevated or horizontal position. This latch is located in an opening 9 in the table-top and is provided with a finger-piece 10, projecting through an aperture or opening 12 in said top and by means of which the latch may be operated.

Located in the opening 9 and surrounding the latch is a spiral spring 13, one end of which is in engagement with the inner wall of said opening, and its opposite end engages an enlarged head 8 of said latch. The locking end of this latch projects into an opening formed in the table and in practice may be formed with a beveled end, which will, when the leaf is thrown upward into its horizontal position, automatically shift the bolt into position to permit the leaf to be latched in its work-supporting position.

The drop-leaf is shown provided near its end of said head. By extending the opening that portion of the table- I hinge with a depending arm 14:, the outer free end of which presses against a leaf-lifting spring 15, secured at one end to some suitable fixture forming part of the table, it being shown fixed to the end wall of a drawercabinet D, depending from the table-top 4:. This arm 14 and the spring 15 are so constructed and disposed relatively to each other that when the leaf L is in a substantially vertical position said spring will tend to retain the leaf in such position, but will, when said leaf is moved into a position slightly one side of such vertical position, exert an upward thrust upon the arm 14 and lift said leaf to its normal position, as will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 2. To permit the leaf to be dropped, a recess 16 is provided in the under side of the table-top 4 for the en trance of the free end of the arm 14, the upper end of the spring 15 also projecting into said recess, whereby the two members 14 and 15 are in permanent engagement.

In use when it is desired to use the leaf to support the work it is merely necessary to throw, by means of or in connection with or independently of the spring, such leaf upward into the position shown in Fig. 1, whereupon its latch will lock it in such position. When desired to inspect that part of the stitch forming mechanism located below the bedplate of the head or to sew work which can be handled with greater facility when not supported by a supporting surface, it is ,merely necessary to actuate the latch and drop the leaf into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

Having now described my invention, I claim 1. A sewing-machine table having within the top thereof an opening; a leaf supported by the table and adapted to fit into said opening; and means for exerting an upward thrust upon said leaf to enable it to form a part of said table-top.

2, A sewing-machine table having within the top thereof a walled-in opening; a leaf hinged to the table and adapted to fit into said opening and having an arm at one side thereof; and a spring cooperating with said arm to exert an upward thrust upon said leaf.

3. A sewing-machine table having within the boundary edges thereof an opening; a work-supporting leaf hinged to the table and adapted to partly close said opening; and means for normally throwing said leaf into a horizontal position to partly close said open- 1mg.

4;. A sewing-machine table having within the top thereof a walled-in opening; a leaf hinged to the table and adapted to partly close said opening and having an arm at one side thereof, a spring cooperating with said arm for normally throwing said leaf into a horizontal position to partly close said opening; and means for maintaining said leaf in its horizontal position.

5. The combination, with a sewing machine table having within the top thereof an opening for the head of a machine and with a sewing-machine head fitting in to said opening and closing a part thereof, of a work-sup porting leaf shiftably secured to the tabletop and normally closing the balance of said opening, andmeans for exerting an upward thrust upon said leaf.

'6. The combination, with a sewingmachine table having within the top thereof a walled-in opening for the head of the machine, and with a sewing-machine head fitting into said opening and closing a part thereof, of a work-supporting drop-leaf hinged to the table-top and normally closing the balance of said opening; and means for maintaining said leaf in its lowered position, and for throwing the same into its normal elevated position.

7. The combination, with a sewingmachine table having within the top thereof a walled-in opening for the head of the machine, and with a sewing-machine head fittinginto said opening and closinga part thereof, of a work-s11 pporting drop-leaf hinged to the table-top and normally closing the balance of said opening; means for maintaining said leaf in its lowered position, and for throwing the same into its normal elevated position; and means for latching said leaf in its elevated position.

8. The combination, with a sewingmachine table having an opening for the head of the machine, and with a sewing-machine head located in said opening and covering a portion thereof; of a drop-leaf hinged to the table and normally covering the balance of said opening and having an arm or projection on the under side thereof; a spring coop crating with said arm for normally throwing said drop-leaf into an elevated or horizontal position; and a latch for normally locking the drop-leaf in said elevated position.

9. The combination, with a sewing ma chine table having an opening for the head of the machine, and with a sewing-machine head located in said opening and covering a portion thereof; of a drop-leaf hinged to the table and normally covering the balance of said opening and having an arm or projection on the under side thereof; and a spring cooperatin g with said arm for normally throw ing said drop-leaf into an elevated or horizontal position, said table having a recess adjacent to the hinged side of said leaf for the reception of the free ends of said arm and spring.

10. A sewing-machine table having within the boundary edges thereof an opening; a work-supporting leaf hinged to the table and adapted to partly close said opening; and a latch for maintaining said leaf in its worksupporting position.

HUBERT P. RICHARDS.

Witnesses:

HENRY BIssELL, F. H. RICHARDS. 

